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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Grandfather's Kindness
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When Lellia opened her eyes again, Duke Superion wasn't questioning her anymore.
*Does he think it was all a misunderstanding? Because I haven't told him the truth?*
Lellia felt a surge of anxiety, but it soon subsided.
It was because Duke Superion was looking after her with a much gentler gaze and tone than before.
It was as if he knew without her having to say a word, as if he was telling her she didn't need to speak, that he would wait until she was ready to tell him herself.
Thanks to him, Lellia felt truly at ease for the first time since leaving the temple.
At the same time, Duke Superion's kindness was so profound that Lellia felt as if she were with the mother she had never met.
Whenever the thought crossed her mind that her maternal grandfather had truly recognized her, her heart would swell, making it difficult to breathe.
*I have to tell him the truth.*
She had opened her mouth to speak several times, but the words just wouldn't come out.
Strangely, whenever she tried to speak, she felt like she was about to cry.
*If the others found out, they'd never call me their leader again...*
It felt like just yesterday they were teasing her for being a crybaby. If her friends found out she had cried again... a wave of despair washed over her at the thought of how much they would make fun of her.
*Not that we'll ever see each other again, anyway.*
Since returning to her homeland from the neutral zone, perhaps because her friends were no longer with her, Lellia felt as if she had reverted to a younger version of herself.
People clearly grew smaller, both in body and spirit, whenever they were lonely and exhausted. Her time in the imperial palace had made her shrink, body and soul.
*I'm glad I ran away.*
Lellia thought to herself, vowing never to cry again.
However, the knights furrowed their brows as they watched the Duke, who had become unusually kind to Lellia.
"What's gotten into him?"
"Did he eat something strange...?"
"I think he's even scarier when he smiles."
The duke, who usually acted like a ferocious bear toward his knights, was showing a completely different side, leaving them utterly bewildered.
They had just arrived in Creta, the last major city they would visit before reaching the Superion estate.
The carriage came to a halt in front of a shopping district.
Duke Superion personally lifted Lellia from the carriage, then took her by the hand and led her somewhere.
Lellia gazed up at her grandfather.
“……”
When their eyes met, Duke Superion smiled, the corners of his lips turning up gently.
Since he rarely smiled, Duke Superion's cheeks had been aching for the past few days.
And yet, he couldn't help but smile whenever he looked at Lellia.
In truth, he felt more like making a pained expression of sympathy, but he consciously forced a smile.
He didn't want Lellia to look at him with fear.
"Uhm… where are we going?"
Without answering her question, Duke Superion stopped in front of a building.
“……”
Lellia glanced at the knights following behind them, then turned her head to look at the sign on the shop right in front of her.
It was a shop that sold children's clothes. A very luxurious-looking one at that.
Lellia swallowed hard.
"I want to buy you a few sets of clothes before we arrive at the estate."
"…I'm fine, though."
"Still, you can't go wearing a robe."
At his words, Lellia lowered her head and looked at the robe she was wearing.
It was a very nice robe that Sir Tesis had bought for her.
*Come to think of it…*
Once I arrive at the estate, I'll have to meet everyone in the Superion family.
Maybe even that person I saw at my mother's cottage.
“……”
Recalling the memory, her toes curled with tension and her throat tightened.
Duke Superion probably wouldn't reveal her identity right away. After all, no one would believe it easily.
*I should probably tell him before we reach the estate.*
With that resolve, Lellia hesitantly followed the duke into the shop.
